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What is the best motorcycle for a beginning rider?
You have passed your exam (in the Netherlands, that is a rather difficult exam: Dutch motorcycle riders are rather well prepared to ride in traffic), and you are ready to buy your first motorcycle.
Which bikes are suitable and which are not? And why? How do you choose your first motorcycle? What are the criteria?
This page tries to formulate some answers.
When taking lessons and passing an exam is not mandatiry where you live: please take lessons!
After having passed your exam, learning to ride really starts!
When passing your exam, you showed that you are able to perform tight turns and brake exercises, and to ride through traffic with sufficient confidenc and sufficient insight in the traffic.
But there still is much to learn. There are many mistakes of other people in traffic, for instance, for which you should have an answer, and which you should expect, in order to not be taken by suprise.
And your riding technique, in corners for instance, will also increase as the miles or kilometers disappear under the tires of your bike.
There is only one way to learn, and that is: experience. Riding kilometers, and in the mean time trying to be aware how you actually ride.
Born again riders are those that did ride once, a long time ago, and decide to go riding again.
For them, the same applies as for people who just passed their exam.
Your feeling for how a motorcycle works is a bit dusty, and the traffic has changed. You will probably ride safely and happily within a shorter time than completely new riders, but you should understand that you will have to start all over again in certain respects.
A good advice for people who did ride many years ago, is to take lessons. In many cases you can get a free intake lesson, to decide in which respects you need some guidance and training.
Of course, you might long to buy the motorcycle you dream about. A BMW GS Adventure for instance. Or a Yamaha R1 in the colors of Rossi, or a Honda CBR600, or a Harley Davidson StreetRod.
But it is smarter to wait, and start with another bike.
The reason not to buy the motorcycle of your dreams is that you make it very difficult for yourself to make progress with your riding technique. When you start jugling, you start with two or three balls, and not with ten, that's how you could see it.
When learning to ride a motorcycle, you will have to steer between two kind of dangers:
One danger is that you never feel comfortable on your bike. Corners are fearsome, you never dare to brake hard (even if the motorcycle of your dreams has ABS), with the result that you take your motorcycle less and less on the road, and a year later, your motorcycle might end up on ebay.
The other danger is the opposite: your motorcycle might be so stable, so neutral, that you never notice that something might go wrong, no matter how fast you ride through turns, and no matter how hard you brake. The result might be that on a black day, you ride *too* fast through a corner or you brake *too* hard.
A good test to decide whether a motorcycle is suited for a beginner is: would you be able to perform the figures of eight, the tight circles and U-turns, and the braking exercises that you had to perform on your exam? If not, it is not a good motorcycle to start on.
Even a 250cc motorcycle like a Yamaha Tricker can do 120 kilometers an hour. And if you stand at a red light, most cars will accelerate much less than that small motorcycle.
In other words: it's almost impossible to think of a motorcycle that will bore you because it is too "light".
The other way around is more probable: that you buy a motorcycle which was meant to serve as a temporary bike for a couple of years, to sharpen your feeling for riding, your cornering techniques, your insight in traffic ansd so on, and that you get attached to it much more than you ever thought, and that it is hard to get used to the idea that you will trade it in for the motorcycle of your dreams.
What happens often as well is that people buy a heavy motorcycle as their first one, and keep riding on heavy motorcycles, until they get a much lighter bike from their dealer when their own bike is held for service, or when they may ride on a friend's light motorcycle. And from that moment on, they start wondering...
A light motorcycle, both with respect to weight and displacement, has several advantages over heavy bikes. You have more fun, that's what it boils down to.
When you start riding, such a motorcycle for beginners might seem a bike for losers, but when you did ride a motorcycle for years long, you know that it is the opposite way...
In the first place, you'd better start with a motorcycle that does not determine your riding style.
Maybe you always longed for a Harley in your garage, so you would like to start on a cruiser. But you will not know wgat type of riding you like until you have experience riding your first motorcycle.
Maybe you find out that you like riding mountain passes, something for which a cruiser-type motorcycle is not optimal. Of course, it can be the case that you like a motorcycle on which you hardly have to change gears, and on which you gently ride, admiring the landscape around you, and then your next bike will be a cuiser-type one. But you will not know until you know yourself as a motorcycle rider.
On top of that, it is important to learn to brake hard. A cruiser, because of its geometry (there will come a special page on geometry on this site), is inclined to lock the front in case of an emergency brake.
Another weak point of a cruiser is to ride fast corners, and because of the weight, tight turns are often difficult.
Another possibility is that you never miss a GP, and imagine yourself on a very fast motorcycle. But if you really want to learn to race, or just be very fast on the street, it's much better to start riding on a not so fast machine. Racers in the MotoGP for instance, did begin on a 125cc, and most of them started even smaller than that.
Imagine too how it will feel when you, on your "ordinary" beginners motorcycle, will pass people in corners who did begin on their dream-Fireblade or R1.
In short: give yourself the opportunity to find out what you like most about riding, and start on a neutral, "ordinary" bike.
OK, you might think, what is a motorcycle for beginners? One with less than 1000cc? Less than 750cc? Less than 500cc?
The problem is that what makes a motorcycle one for beginners, depends on a lot of factors. So there is no rule that states that a beginners bike is one with less than x cc's or with less power than y.
One thing to remember however, is that 600cc or less will *not* bore you after a while, as many motorcycle salesmen try to tell you.
The KTM Duke for instance, has just about 600cc, but it's a motorcycle that is not suitable for a beginning rider: it's a motorcycle for someone with a lot of riding experience (see the text about the number of cyclinders below).
In countries where there is a restriction for the amount of Hp a bike may have for certain categories of riders, some motorcycles are tuned back to restrict the power. Think twice before you buy such a motorcycle. In most cases, this is done by narrowing the air intake, or by restricting the amount of throttle that you can give.
Especially when a motorcycle is optimized for power (with high rpm), you end up with a really boring machine on which nothing seems right.
A motorcycle that has less horsepower than such a limit by itself will always give you more fun: it will ride like is was designed to.
In general, a four cyclinder bike is less suitable for a starting rider. Four cylinders with relatively few capacity (like a CBR600 or an R6) achieve their horsepowers by having their maximum torque at high rpm's (see the page about torque and power).
The cc's are divided over four cylinders. So you can imagine that these four cylinders will move easier up and down at a fast rate than one cylinder with the same amount of cc's.
Therefore, such a four cylinder doesn't have much power in the lower rpm's.
A one cylinder is less suitable in most occasions as well.
The reason is a bit the opposite as in the case of the four cylinders. That one cylinder contains all the cc's. High rpm's are not easy to reach, so most one cylinders have been optimzed to have their maximum torque at relatively low rpm's. A KTM Duke or a Yamaha XT660 for example, are very ready to jump ahead with a bit of gas from standstill. And when you close the throttle, they will brake very hard on the engine as well. When you close the throttle it can really feel as if you stamp on your rear brake; you will be surprized.
So, in short, a one cylinder is often too wild.
A moderate two cylinder offers the beginning motorcyclist the best of both worlds: even delivery of power, from reasonably low rpm, and no peaky power that is only available at high rpm's.
In the first place, it is important to choose a motorcycle that doesn't make you extra afraid to fall.
That means that you should preferrably buy a second hand bike, that already has some scratches. Another advantage is that you don't have to break in a second hand bike: breaking in can better be done after you have built some feeling for how an engine runs. (there will come a page about breaking in an engine on this site).
It also means that the weight of a motorcycle is important: don't choose a heavy bike which is hard to handle in tight turns.
Another point is to take a look at what might break during a simple fall when standing still: plastic bodyparts are often very expensive to buy.
In the first place: almost everyone will drop their first motorcycle once or twice. Simply when parking or when getting on it.
But it is not only during tight turns that a light motorcycle has an advantage; it is
an advantage during a ride as well.
The more relaxed you sit on the bike, the better the bike will behave. When your first
motorcycle intimidates you by its weight or by its awkward handling, it is easy to get
trapped in a downward spiral, where you ride tensly, which results in a bike that
is even more awkward to handle, etc.
By telling you "Just don't open the throttle" (in the Netherlands, it's actually "your brains are in your right hand"), salesmen often try to persuade you to buy a much more powerfull motorcycle than you planned to buy, by implying that it would not matter which bike you would buy: riding easy and relaxed would be possible on any bike, they would say.
That's not true: a fast motorcycle is constantly begging you to open the throttle; you will very easily ride much faster than you ever planned to, and when you are able to withold, such a bike is no fun to ride. You will easily end up at a speed at which it is impossible for you to watch the traffic good enough, and to anticipate to mistakes of others.
Sporty four cylinders such as a CBR600 or Bandit are yearning to be ridden with high rpm's. If you would listen to the motorcycle salesman, and would never open the throttle more than half way, they are like asthmatic donkeys; only when you open the throttle, you will experience what fun they can offer.
So it is a form of masochism to buy such a motorcycle as your first one, and try to be gentle with the throttle.
So, you should start looking for motorcycles that feel happy at relatively low rpm's. A motorcycle that will not jump aggressively forward with a bit of throttle (at low or at high rpm's), but instead accelerates smooth and linear: just a matter of more throttle, more speed.
Suppose you make a test ride, twice, with the odometer hided. One time you ride a Yamaha R6, and the other time a Royal Enfield Bullet 350. Both times, you try to maintain a speed of about 80 km/h, and there is no other traffic to adjust to.
Probably, your speed on the R6 will be much higher than on the Royal Enfield.
So, the sensation of speed differs much between different motorcycles.
A quietly running engine, without much noise or rattlings, prevents you from
feeling speed. A windscreen or a fairing does that too, because you don't feel
the air flow that much. A sharp-steering bike also makes you think your speed
is lower than it is.
The riding position has an influence as well: on a sports bike, you feel comfortable
at a relatively high speed, because the air flow supports you, while your arms and
wrist have to do that at a lower speed.
Because the risk of getting a fine when riding too fast is ever increasing, everybody (not only beginners) do well to choose a bike that gives you the sensation of riding fast at relatively lower speeds.
That means that it is an advantage when your motorcycle is a bit noisy and rattling, if there is some movement in the frame, if he doesn't steer very sharp, and if there is no fairing or windscreen.
The main advantage of a motorcycle which gives you the feeling of "fast" riding while you ride slower than you would on an R6, is that you have more time to take decisions. On an R6 you easily ride 100 km/h on a main road, before you even notice. That is 7 meters per second faster than 80 (the speed limit in the Netherlands for main roads). The braking distance increases quadratically with an increase of speed...
| Speed in kilometers/hour | Distance in 1 second | Stopping distance | Braking distance (one reaction second included) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 km/u | 8 m. | 4 m. | 12 m. |
| 50 km/u | 14 m. | 12 m. | 26 m. |
| 80 km/u | 22 m. | 31 m. | 53 m. |
| 100 km/u | 28 m. | 48 m. | 76 m. |
| 120 km/u | 33 m. | 70 m. | 103 m. |
Note: these are distances, counting with a braking deceleration of 8 m/s2: very hard braking. When you brake "normally", the deceleration is about 5 m/s2. The stopping distance at 100 kilometers an hour is then 77 meters, and when including the second that you need to react, this is 105 meters. So keep practising braking.
On the page about cornering, you can read that it is easier to ride corners when you take your time for the preparation: lowering your speed and shifting.
If speeding is too easy on a bike, you will ride faster, and have less time to prepare
for corners.
The same applies for every decision you have to take: to brake or to swerve,
is there or isn't there room to pass, etc.
Maybe this sounds strange for you, but you'd better start on a bike that doesn't steer razor sharp.
Motorcycle riding is a game between the rider and the machine, so you will have to learn to *feel* your motorcycle.
A motorcycle that steers like a razor will be a delight to ride, eventually, when you have learned to feel every subtle sign that your motorcycle may give you. But at the start, you don't feel anything, just because the frame is so stiff and the bike steers that sharp. And when you don't feel anything, you can't learn to feel as well.
A less sharp steering motorcycle might inspire less confidence, in the beginning, but it will allow you to learn to feel exactly what is happening down there, and it will give feedback long, long before anything will go wrong, that you do something that is a bit too much for your bike to handle.
When such a motorcycle starts to feel like a heated chocolate bar in a long corner, it's not too late, so you learn not to get frightened and let your motorcycle find its balance without you interfering.
If on such a motorcycle the rear wheel starts to dribble to the outside, there is no reason to panic at all, and you can learn to keep everything steady, so your bike will find its way.
So, a not very stiff steering motorcycle teaches you to get a feeling for signs that you approach the limit of its capabilities, and teaches you that *not* reacting in panic (closing the throttle, brake), will have the result that the motorcycle finds its balance.
It might sound odd, but a motorcycle is very capable to get itself out of trouble, if only you don't interfere (think, as an illustration, of bikes in races that keep riding after the rider has fallen off).
A light allroad seems to be a perfect beginners bike: they are not optimized for power and ride with energy from low within the rpm's. They are light and agile, and are built to survive a fall without much damage.
But they have a disadvantage: long fork travel, and often soft springs.
The problem is that those ingredients make it easy to lock your front wheel in an emergency brake. When the springs have reached the bottom, every small dip or stone in your line is enough to lock the front, and that's something you don't want in an emergency brake.
So, would it be better to choose a motorcycle with ABS?. In that case, there is no risk to lock your front wheel: the ABS will prevent that.
Of course, it's right that ABS prevents a wheel from locking, but there are some hairy details.
In the first place, the ABS sometimes shuts down or doesn't "boot". It happens when the battery doesn't deliver enough voltage, often when it is cold (freezing, with an extra risk for locked wheels because of slippery roads).
Besides that, it is a good thing to learn to brake hard without ABS: otherwise you would be very unsafe on a bike without it.
And at last: ABS only offers extra safety if you ride as though you don't have it (which also
means that you should perform brake exercises now and then, as though you don't have ABS), and that's
very hard for many people.
The idea of safety often makes people rider faster, and closer to the one in front of them then they
would do without ABS, and in that case, you lose all the safety your ABS offers.
So, if you decide for ABS, please teach yourself to brake *well*. Hard, and if possible, with the ABS switched off. And try to ride as though there is no ABS.
Try to imagine what you are going to do with your motorcycle. Are you going to ride a lot through cities? In that case, a light, agile allroad would be perfect, but mind the disadvantage concerning the brakes. An advantage is of course, that you don't have to be afraid of unpaved roads.
Do you want to take your motorcycle on vacations? Then check where and how you can tie your luggage on the bike, and check the saddle: how does it feel after a couple of hours? And check the page about camping.
If your preference is to ride in a racer-like style, don't make the error of thinking that you need a "sport"-model to learn that. On the street, the difference is made in corners, and you don't need a sportsmodel to learn to be fast in corners.
There are a couple of reasons not to buy a new motorcycle as your first one:
- You will have to break in the new engine (see our
page on breaking
in a new motorcycle). Breaking in new engine in is not hard, but it
will cost you attention, and with your first motorcycle, all your
attention should be with the traffic and your riding style during your
first kilometers.
After a couple of years on your first motorcycle, you will be capable to break in your next
motorcycle, if you then decide for a new one.
- In most cases, you will be able to sell a second hand motorcycle after a couple of years for about the same price as what you payed for it, if you maintain the bike regularly. So you will almost ride for free.
- Almost everyone will drop a motorcycle from time to time, especially during the first years. Picking up a shiny new motorcycle, with scratches and all, is not a pleasing activity.
The less frightened you are abour falling, not only doing tight turns but also in sweeping corners, the less stressed and tightly you will sit. When your motorcycle is second-hand and has a few scratches already, that is at least not stressing you extra.
When you just got your license, you probably think that motorcycles with lots of cc's (ir cubic inches) are for advanced riders, and that motorcycles with less cc's are in fact a bit inferior.
In reality, almost the opposite is true.
A remarkable number of motorcycles with a displacement between 400 and 600 cc has come to the market during the last couple of years. Motorcycle riders with many kilometers of experience often find out that riding corners on a light bike is more fun than on a heavy bike, that a displacement of 600cc is more than enough to be faster than almost any car, and that you enjoy riding more on such a motorcycle.
Increasing numbers of motorcycle riders who own a Pan European or an R1200RT, buy a second motorcycle, and then find out that they leave their heavy motorbike often in the garage.
And the Yamaha Tricker, a 250cc bike, is only bought, remarkably, by motorcycle riders who have many years of motorcycle experience.
A light motorcycle (both with respect to weight and with respect to displacement) is not by definition suitable to use as a starter's bike.
You'd better stay off light four cyclinder like the CBR600 or R6, and the same applies for one cylinders with a displacement of 600cc or more (and it even applies for the Yamaha WR450). But what you can learn from this development in the production of motorcycles, is that you certainly don't have to feel inferior with a light motorcycle for beginners.
Mind that this motorcycle and the following bikes have not been imported in every country (in the United States and some other countries for instance, motorcycles of moderate displacement are very rare...). However, I discuss them here, to show which characteristics determine the suitability of a motorcycle for a beginner).
An example of a motorcycle that is a really good beginner's bike, for a couple of years after having passed your exam, is the Suzuki GS500. It comes both with a fairing (GS500F) and without (GS500). The fairing version is still available (see the ) official GS500F page , though not in every country.
The GS500 is a two cylinder (twin), and has a weight of about 180 kilograms dry (without oil or fuel). The power is about 50Hp, at 9500 rpm, which is more than sufficient on the street and on highways or interstates. The torque is about 30Nm, at 7500 rpm.
There is a tined back 25Kw (34Hp) version available.
With the GS500 you have a motorcycle that rides easily, in different circumstances, without taking you by surprise. An ideal first motorcycle.
The GS500 is a really "neutral" motorcycle: the front wheel neither is far forward (cruiser-like), neither very close under the handelbars (like a sports motorcycle). The springs and suspension is neither superb (which would give a narrow band between getting aware that something might go wrong and actually going wrong), neither soft and wobbly and long, like you see in an allroad.
So the GS500 is a motorcycle which will teach you how to brake and how to ride corners in a gentle way. It will always give you feedback about what happens, so you have plenty of time to realise that you ask a bit too much of it.
Another example of a first motorcycle is the Yama Tricker. It shows
at the same time that there are no absolute rules for a beginners bike:
it's a one cylinder, and so it is an exception on the rule that in principle,
a beginners bike is a twin.
It is suitable as a first bike because of the tiny displacement of 250cc:
its power delivers really gently, and it won't draw black rubber stripes on
the tarmac when you shift a gear too many back, like it is possible in
bigger one cylinders. The Tricker therefore, is a very sweet and gentle one cylinder.
Unfortunately, it is hard to come by, and not available as new in some countries.
Its one cylinder has a displacement of 250cc. Its weight is 118 kilograms dry (without oil or fuel), which is very light. The maximum power is 19Hp (at 7500 rpm). The maximun torque is 19Nm at around 6000 tpm.
The Tricker starts to deliver its power from low in the rpm's. Speeding away from a traffic light will not be a problem: you will keep ahread easily of most cars. Only on the interstates you will feel that it has not enough power: from 100 kilometers an hour on, it is getting asthmetic. It will hardly accelerate anymore.
The Yamaha Tricker is in fact the only one of its kind. It is a trial motorbike (trialing is climbing over obstacles and jump at low speeds with a motorcycle) that is allowed on the street. The frame geometry looks much as that of an allroad, but the Tricker is even easier to turn tightly, and to raise the front or rear wheel.
The big advantage is its agility, the ease with which you can turn tightly, and the fact that a muddy road is no problem at all, and that it warns you, in long sweeping corners, very early that it's experiencing difficulties, long before something would actually happen.
You will have to do brake exercises with the Tricker: it dives into the front springs, and it is difficult to brake really hard. When you replace the rubber brake hoses by steel ones, the brakes will give you more feedbac about what's happening, and hard braking will become easier.
A third example of a motorcycle for beginners is the
Kawasaki W650.
It honours the classic Triumph Bonneville in a beautifull way (after Kawasaki produced
this bike, the new Triumph factory, that is something entirely different than the classic Triumph
factory, came with their own copy of the Triumoh Bonneville, which they named Bonneville
to confuse you...).
For information, look in the German and English enthousiast's groups.
The W650 is a two cylinder of 675cc. It reaches its maximum torque of 54Nm at 5500 rpm. Its maxximum power is 47 Hp and it is reached at 7000 rpm. Its weight is 195 kilo (without oil or fuel), which is rather heavy.
All in all, it is a motorcycle of moderate power, which is produced in a gentle way.
This power is enough to be quick enough on interstates, and even on Autobahns, but the W650 is, of course, a motorcycle which feels happiest on rustic roads.
The W650 has a really "neutral" frame. You sit upright, the fork travel is moderate, braking is gentle and easy.
This is a great bike for any beginner, and while you're learning to ride, you ride on a motorcycle that looks like a real classic bike.
If you check the properties of a good bike for beginners, and you check what motorcycles are for sale now, you will conclude that it is almost impossible to buy a new motorcycle that is suitable to start your riding career on.
Of course, one of the desired properties of a beginners bike is that it is second hand, but even if you disregard that, what's new at the motorcycle dealer is in general too powerfull, too heavy, too etcetera for a beginner.
That's understandable, because any motorcycle that gets the label " beginner's bike" will, in general, be contempted by motorcycle riders, experienced or beginning (though I have the impression that this is not everywhere the case; in the Netherlands, it certainly is).
Therefore, motorcycle manufacturers have a dilemma: beginners are an attractive buyers group, but when a motorcycle is marketed as a good bike for beginners, many motorcycle riders, both beginning and experienced, will hold that bike in contempt.
N.B. The text below is about the F650GS one cylinder.
The new F650GS is two cylinder bike. We have written a ride report about this new F650GS. The new F650GS comes closer to the ideal beginners bike!
The F650 from BMW has been marketed as a bike for beginners and for women somehow, many people consider those two groups as about one and the same), and in most countries, the F650 never had success.
The F650GS is a big one-cyclinder. Not an ideal beginner's bike, but within the motorcycles that you can buy new at a dealer, it is a relatively suitable bike for beginning riders.
That is because the power delivery is smooth. The bike pulls from velow, without bucking at low revs. The F650GS is easy to maneuvre and push into a corner, has a wide steer, and is not too heavy.
Due to its all-road properties, the F650GS dives heavily under hard braking: you'd better buy this bike with ABS, and you should often practise hard braking.
The maximum power of the F650GS is 50Hp, at 6500 rpm; the maximum torque
of 60Nm is reached at 5000 rpm. It's weight without fluids ia 176 kg;
with fuel and fluids 192 kg.
The top speed is almost 179 km/h.
Note that when you look for a used F650GS, that there is a big difference between the (older) F650 and the F650GS. The F650 is only manageable from about 4000 rpm; below that number it bucks tremendously.
That is uncomfortable for everyone, for beginners as well.
Don't be tempted to believe that the F650GS is unsuitable for experienced riders, only because it is a rather sutablebike for beginners: the F650GS is a motorcycle that will please you always, no matter how many miles you have traveled on motorcycle.
You can take it on holidays, fully loaded with tent and other camping gear, it is a very capable Alps conquerer, it has plenty of power for on motorways, and the Eiffel or Ardennes are it's natural habitat.
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I have read your entire site and as a new rider it has been very informative and helpful. Many thanks for all your work.
I attracted to the Kawasaki W650 as a beginners bike, however (maybe because I am British!!) I prefer the Triumph Bonneville. What is your opinion of this as a beginners bike. I plan to ride with a pillion after a short time too.
From:Robin Cassells
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***************** Answer ***********************
Ah that's a tough one :-)
Allthough i like it Triumph has (after to many a Kawa based 3/4 cyl ripoff) revived the speedtwin/bonneville concept.
But for a good educationally satisfying learnerbike, it's way to powerfulleand heavy, the W650 is a better choice, and more than capable enough to haul you and the missus all aroud the world (think Jupiters Travels :-)
But one advice, don't start to soon with pillion, first get acquainted with the bike real good because the added responsability for a pillion weigh a lot at first, and will hamper progression bigtime, if your still feeling a bit unsureish, the pillion will unonsciously to your wavering, making the ride awkward for both.
A short spin to give her the feeling which burns yor hart so brightly, is of course no pbig problem, but real touring should wait till you have half a year or 5000 miles experiance whichever comes last...
(it's no binding advice, just the best and safest way, to get a lasting and more fullfilling bikelifetinme :-)
From:Ernst
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I took your advice and bought the w650. I am loving it and realise I have a lot to learn.
I have taken the wife out a few times and understand what you mean. I am learning much more on my own.
I have done 3000 km in 3 weeks and feel I need at least another 10,000 before I can corner well!
The more I ride the more I realise the wisdom and knowledge within your site. Once again many thanks.
From:Robin Cassells
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I once wrote to you a year ago. I am a Chinese woman in Hong Kong and I started riding more than a year now, first on a learning bike (Suzuki EN 125 2A) and then on a Virago 250. I am just 5 feet 2, weighs 100 pounds. I have riden for 8000km so far.
I want an upgrade now and want to ride to work everyday. I am undecisive of getting a brand new bmw F650GS or a H-D XL 1200 nightster (my less preferable choice is Suzuki SV650). Please advice.
From:Manching, Leung
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***************** Answer ***********************
The F650 is a good choice, reasonably dependable, but very pricey, the H-D will be a bit of a gamble, a lot of money, that will be ruined by daily abuse and possible high maintanance costs.
Your least preffered choice would be my choice as a work horse, nice soft turning engine with real fluent power delivery. The F650 will be more fun on the backroads, but te SV will be the better commuterbike, and can be a nice blast on any sunday :-)
From:Ernst
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Awesome site, awesome articles!
I only passed my test (new 2 module test in UK) about a month ago. I did my CBT on an ancient CG125 which although is perfect for this kind of thing, was horrible on the open road. Because i'm 6′4″ and nearly 18 stone the bike would barely move under it's own power (bless it).
Then on my first lesson i was put onto a CB500, and boy was i impressed about how these bikes go.
I never expected it to have so much go and to handle so well! Just as i got used to this bike on my first proper lesson i was put onto another different bike for the rest of my lessons, a brand new CBF600 (due to the school replacing it's old CB500's with something newer).
The first thing i noticed about the CBF600 was that compared to the CB500 it had virtually NO engine braking (hairy moment at first roundabout)! But from then on it was all good the CBF is an amazing learner bike, so easy to get comfortable on. I had 4 lessons in total before passing both modules with only 1 minor and i feel it was because the bikes were so easy to ride that this was possible.
So after passing i jumped straight onto my BMW R1100RT that i had bought a month earlier and was just sitting in the garage waiting for me! Now yes i know this is not the ideal first bike as it weighs nigh on 300kg's and is not nearly as easy to ride as the smaller bikes were, but as long as you respect the capabilities of your bike and realise that it can ride better than you can most of the time you should be okay.
I havn't had any close calls or near misses on it yet and don't feel scared of taking corners but i suppose i know my own limitations and having only recently passed my test i know i cannot hope to be fast without firstly getting to know how my bike rides inside out and without firstly learning how to be smooth and safe.
Enjoy your bike, whatever you ride and be safe.
From:Martin
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thanks for this informative and lively article...
I'm 55 and will be starting to take lessons this summer.
Do you think that there is a big difference between the Yamaha YBR 250 and the Honda VTR 250?
These are my two favorites, I'm hoping to purchase one soon (hard to find in Switzerland ...)
From:Mark
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Really great article. Thanks for the info.
I'm looking for the ideal learner bike. I'm 23 (from the UK) and am 5' 10". I was thinking about the yamaha ybr125 as a learner or one similar to that but after reading this, I'm thinking maybe abit bigger than that around the 250 or even 500cc mark. What would you advise for me to look out for in that class to start on? Eventually I quite fancy a custom/cruiser style bike.
Any help is muchly appreciated. Thanks alot!
From:James Arnold
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Ah, the YBR :-)
Its a little gem of a bike, not much spunk, but lots of fun on a budget, even flling up makes one smile...It's a little small in modern traffic, but it shure will learn you to corner.
A Cruiser is not the way to go, it looks nice, but it forces you into a (imho) awkward riding position, and riding style, which doesn't give a lot of possibilities to find out the different modi operandi of een motorbike.
Better stick to real "bland" motorcycles, were the rider has to put in the exctement, those will inspire the rider to do his best.
From:Ernst and Sylvia
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I read your article and i found it really helpful.
I am currently planning on purchasing a Suzuki gs500 i was wondering if the gs500f is any different and if it would still be a good beginners bike any feed back and advice would be really helpful. Thanks
From:Asuf
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As far as we know it is the same bike apart from its fairing , it just looks flashier, but beware, dropping a bike with fairing is costly, and still learning, you'll have a high risk of stalling it, and tumbling over at near standstill, it even happens to me every few years at an awkward crossing uphill :)
From:Ernst and Sylvia
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One big thing that needs mentioning is the height (the real height, as in seat height) and your position above the traffic around you- this was a big thing for me, sitting or rather laying on a sporty bike makes you loose the overview of the traffic happening around you- you are too busy getting used to the tiny mirrors, to the right use of your hands and feet..
anyway, I bought a 640 ktm duke 2 and am very happy about her!
I do not have the longest legs but I feel comfy holding her even if my feet do not reach the ground completely, she is not too heavy and if you are not a brain-dead freak you can control the throttle w/out 2 many unwanted wheelies.
all the best, a girl from switzerland
From:swiss ktm-girl
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Ah, thats a good point to mention, something we missed without the experience of riding a sportsbike, now i understand why i dont like that cocooning kind of riding !
It's indeed just as in a Car he feeling of riding in a letterbox, the cramped view, and loss of oversight on traffic behind and next to one.
From:Ernst and Sylvia
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Great article!
I am looking for a new Yamaha YBR 250 and also for a BMW G650Xcountry. Which one is more suitable for a begginer? I'm 6ft15 tall...
From:Horatziu
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The YBR250 will be the better learnerbike, because it can't compensate for judgement errors by pulling the throttle, so you will be urged to look farther ahead to keep up a given speed, and just that is the main clue to better and safer riding, without compromising enjoyment (or speed for that matter).
A lot of learners a lured into the bigger bike syndrome (BBS) by friends and passers by. They tell the learner such a small bike will be short of pleasure, because they themselves never started on a small bike, and are now depending on *power* to supplement the speed they loose because of corner angst...
And the most curious thing of all is, that corner angst is caused by former power, due to the throttle wrenching on the straights to catch up their riding buddies, they come on to almost every corner with way to much entry speed...
So corner angst is induced, the brakes are slammed on, and the harmony in the bike is upset, and the corner will be wobbly wobbly by the simpel fact, that midway corner, the braking, which transferred al the weight on the front tire stops, the front springs unload, and the bikes geometry changes quite abruptly, from frontweel based to neutral. The bike wants to leave the corner to the inside, so extra steering input is needed halfway to compensate...
But at that moment the riding buddies disappear in front of them so the throttle is opened again, but then another geometry change is induced, from neutral to rearwheel laden, tipping in the bike even more, so even more steering input is needed, or throttle taken back. Either way, the corner is becoming a lot of seperate actions, a hodgepodge of little wobblies...
And then you see the occasional starter which took the lowroad, starterd on a 125 especcially and most budget driven staid some years on his moped
, sure he was laughed at in first, but as time went by, he honed his skillz, by lack of entry speed he could learn to take corners at full
speed, and watch him Goooo
that number 46...
Most pressing example is former world champion Stoner, who at first thought he with all his magic, could pass teh 125 schoolbenches and started in the GP250, but a year of crashes was the result, and back he went to school (back from 250GP's to the 125 Class), and look were it brought him...
And now you can see the difference, Rossi started on pocket bikes, and can handle the most reluctant bikes, and can cope like no other with the Pressure, but Stoner falters really easily if put under pressure, he just lacks the skillz Rossi has, and is dependent on all kind of electronic gadgetery to keep him upright. (that electronic throttle control ruins the sport in my humble opinion, BTW...)
The beemer is unmistacably the nicer looking bike, but what is more important, being a skilled rider, having the most fun, or cruising around like a squid to be looked at (my choice is ovious i think... :-)
From:Ernst and Sylvia
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I am a 5 ft 2, 45kg middle age Chinese woman. My husband bought me a brand new virago 250 after I passed my motorcycle examination last week.
I know Virago is not among your first bike list. But what are your comments? Thanks.
From:Ninja
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First of all, we give the ideal learner bikes in *our* opinion, so its not by any means that other bikes are not suitable for learners, just somewhat less optimal.
Read the piece about geometry, to read about the shortcomings of the chopper/cruiser
geometry, and watch out with high speed (120km+) when you're as nice small and light as you are, because i know of the 535 (it's bigger brother) that it has a tendency to get into a speedwobble at that speed.
(should that occur, push yourself forward in the saddle so you don't hang on the handlebars)
But with the displacement of 250cc those speeds will be out of reach.
We wish you many happy ride outs.And let us hear of your experiences in China traffic, as information for our readers, because we have no idea about China, and with latter day petrol price, it will stay that way for now :-)
From:Ernst and Sylvia
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I had a question, you know the Yamaha Tricker? Do you know if it's available in the UK ?
I was saving up for a bike and if I could i'd rather have a lighter one.. (I'm not exactly a heavy guy might be safer :P) and that one seemed pretty good..
thanks for your time
From:Saul Bowden
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The problem with the Tricker is that it is no longer sold in Europe (they can't get it through the emission rules). In the Netherlands, it was sold during two years, so from time to time there are second-hands for sale.
I don't know about the UK.
We have one, but we don't want to sell it ;-) http://www.sylviastuurman.eu/motor/yamahatricker/.
Hope this helps!
From:Ernst and Sylvia
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Thank you!
Great article it helped me alot
From:
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I wish I'd found this website years ago. Your advice is spot on! I'm now using it to help a friend decide on his first bike.
From:Dominic
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Yamaha Tricker isn't available in the US. I saw one in Japan, and I sat on it, I couldn't take it out for demo.
The seat was the most uncomfortable motorcycle seat I've ever sat on. I logically concluded that this motorcycle would only be comfortable to ride if you were on the pegs all the time, i.e. you ride it much like a trials bike.
From:Tiger Joe
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Don't judge a book on its cover. A somewhat harder seat, is much morecomfortable in the long run than a soft one.
If you slide a littleback, on it, it's a surprisingly tourable litle bright bike. Itbrought us all the way to Romania and back again, 12000 km in ayear... ANd the new one is nearing the 10k too
From:Ernst and Sylvia
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Wow, this page was just the thing I was looking for when I searched on Google. Thanks for the info, now I have a better idea.
Thanks for keeping it simple yet informative, a hard thing to do.
From:CK S
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Good job, great faq.
From:
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Awesome, so glad I stumbled across this page.
I feel much more prepared to make a decision on what my first bike should be. Thanks!
From:Simon
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